Lidl UK crowned Supermarket of the Year at Drinks Retailing Awards 2017

Lidl UK claims top prize, also walking away with the accolade for Multiple Spirits Retailer of the Year

8th February 2017: Lidl UK triumphed at last night’s Drinks Retailing Awards 2017, as the supermarket was crowned Supermarket of the Year, outperforming rivals Aldi, Morrisons and Waitrose.

The retailer also claimed the top award for Multiple Spirits Retailer of the Year, outstripping all other contenders including Aldi, Tesco and Waitrose, at last night’s prestigious ceremony held at the Dorchester Hotel in London, alongside an audience of the industry’s biggest players.

These accolades follow the growing success for Lidl over the past year for its beer, wine and spirits range including being crowned the International Spirits Challenge’s Spirits Supermarket of the Year twice in a row. It also comes after Lidl was awarded Retail Spirits Buyer of the Year at last year’s 47th International Wine & Spirit Competition, as well as scooping the top prize at the World Whiskies Awards in March 2016, ‘World’s Best Blended Limited Release Whisky’ for its own-brand scotch whisky, Glen Alba 22 Year Sherry Cask Finish Blended.

A 9.4% year on year sales increase for Lidl also buoyed the retailer’s market share by 0.3%, leaving the supermarket holding 4.5% of the UK grocery market*.

The Drinks Retailing Awards, whose judging process is one of the most rigorous and thorough of all the industry awards, cover the entire breadth of the take-home market, with Lidl’s performance this year showcasing its incredible success having delivered excellent service, range and value nationally for shoppers.

Commenting on Lidl’s outstanding achievement at last night’s awards, Paul Gibson, Lidl UK’s Buying Director said: “Last night’s awards reflect another fantastic achievement for Lidl UK, and these are testament to all the hard work and effort put in by all our teams from across the business. They also showcase how our increasingly impressive range is continuing to change the British public’s perception of our products, as we continue to deliver on quality and value to our shoppers every day.”

OLN Editor Martin Green added: “Lidl has done a fantastic job on its range of beers, wines and spirits, hunting out a plethora of high-quality drinks sold at affordable prices. Its own-label drinks have regularly beaten far more expensive brands in blind taste competitions, and that is a great credit to its team. Layout and merchandising in-store makes it easy and enjoyable for customers to browse the aisles, particularly a point-scoring system for its wines. Lidl has been rewarded for placing such a strong focus on its drinks range by growing sales faster than any other supermarket, and it is a highly deserving winner this year.”